Demonstrators against ICE in Milan Photo: Ryo AOKI / AP / Profimedia
Hundreds of demonstrators protested in Milan on Saturday against the sending of ICE agents to the Winter Olympics, reports AP, quoted by News.ro.
The protest in Piazza XXV Aprile, a square named after the date of Italy's liberation from fascism and Nazism in 1945, attracted people from the left-wing Democratic Party, the CGIL trade union confederation and the ANPI organizations that protect the memory of Italian partisan resistance during the Second World War, along with many others.
The organizers distributed the plastic whistles, which the participants used while the music was playing from a van. The protest concerned both the news that agents of a division of ICE will participate in protecting the American delegation, and what many consider to be an insidious fascism in the United States.
“No thanks, from Minnesota to the world, with anyone who fights for human rights,” read one of the banners. “Never again means never again for anyone,” read another, and “Ice only in Spritz,” a reference to a popular aperitif, read another.
Meloni government clarifies role of US ICE agents at Milan Cortina Olympics amid public anger in Italy
ICE causes a political scandal in Italy
The news about sending ICE agents caused a negative reaction in Italy. The mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, declared that they are not welcome. The Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, was called to Parliament to give explanations about this referral this week.
Protester Silvana Grassi held a sign that read “ICE = Gestapo”. She said the images of ICE agents in Minneapolis shooting and killing protesters and detaining children were deeply disturbing. “I want to cry just thinking about it,” Grassi said. “It's terrible. How could they choose such an evil, evil man?”
The ICE agents who will be deployed to Milan are not part of the same unit as the immigration agents who carry out enforcement actions in Minnesota and other US cities.
Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE unit that deals with cross-border crimes, frequently sends officers to international events, such as the Olympics, to provide security. The arm of ICE on the front lines of US immigration enforcement is known as Enforcement and Removal Operations, and there is no indication that its officers are being sent to Italy.
“Even if they're not the same, we don't want them here,” Grassi said.
Paolo Bortoletto, who was also holding a banner, was aware that the officers would have an investigative role and not a patrolling one. However, he said: “We don't want them in our country. We are a peaceful country. We don't want fascists. Their ideas bother us.”
The Olympic Games begin on February 6 with an opening ceremony attended by US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
